Failure to Success Stories of Some Famous People

Sometimes we come across a number of obstacles that drive us towards despair. We start feeling hopeless and frustrated. Success seems to be a goal that can never be achieved and with every step ahead, we find ourselves even more close to failure. No doubt, such situations are quite devastating….but do you know, you are on the verge of success when you don’t allow failures to defeat you. It is said that failure is a stepping stone towards success. And there are indeed many real world examples to support this saying. Here is a list of 6 incredibly successful people who were once a failure:

1-Thomas Edison:

At school, he was considered a very dumb student. His teacher thought he was too stupid to learn anything. Edison developed hearing problems at an early age. His life was quite tough at times. He sold candies, newspapers and vegetables. At 19 years of age, he was fired from his job. Before inventing a successful first light bulb, Edison had to go through more than 9000 unsuccessful experiments. When asked about his failures, he answered brilliantly, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Today he is considered as one of the most prominent inventors in the history, holding 1,093 patents in his name.

2- Sir Isaac Newton:

The greatest mathematician of his time, Sir Isaac Newton, never did well at school. His mother pulled him out of school and he was forced to look after the family farm. Here, too, he failed miserably. Later, he was allowed to complete his basic education and he got enrolled to the Cambridge University. Finally he was able to excel in his field and transformed into what we know of him today.

3- Albert Einstein:

I am sure you must be aware of this name. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant minds ever. But do know this genius was also once a failure? His parents and teachers considered him a hopeless case as he was too anti-social and had some difficulties in learning. Would you believe this genius noble prize winner was unable to speak uptil the age of 4 and was unable to read until he was seven. He was expelled from school and was even refused admittance to a polytechnic institute. After so many failures, he was finally able to win the Noble Prize in the field of Physics.

4- Abraham Lincoln:

By going through the life history of this great man, you have many lessons to learn. He failed, and failed many times. He lacked education, money and powerful friends in his early life. He went to war as a captain, but was then discharged from his command and was re-enlisted as a Private. He started a business that couldn’t flourish, the first campaign of his political career was also a failure. But he didn’t give up and his failures did not de-motivate him. He then taught himself law by reading Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England and other law books. According to Lincoln, “I studied with no body”. Today, he is remembered as one of the most powerful leaders in the world.

5- Theodor Seuss:

Dr. Seuss is well-known for his fascinating story books for children. Over 600 million copies of his books have been sold. He is the same man who wrote his first book with the title “To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street”. It was rejected by 27 different publishers and now, almost every child grows up reading Dr. Seuss’s books. Amazing, isn’t it?

6- Steve Jobs:

Steve jobs – who is broadly recognized for his prominent career in the field of computer and consumer electronics field, was fired from his own company, Apple. However, he did not allow this mishap to crush him. Instead, he took it as an opportunity. He struggled hard and eventually returned to the starting point of his career by regaining control of Apple.
Jobs later described this incident in a speech at Stanford University by saying, “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.” And he further added, “I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful-tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it.”